Power machines include various work vehicles such as telehandlers, skid steer loaders, tracked loaders, excavators, and utility vehicles. Telehandlers and other power machines typically utilize a hydraulic system including one or more hydraulic pumps that provide pressurized hydraulic fluid to accomplish a number of tasks, including to power travel motors in a drive system; to raise, lower, extend, and retract a boom or a lift arm; to rotate implements that may be coupled to the power machine with respect to the lift arm or boom thereof; and to provide hydraulic fluid to motors and actuators on certain implements to perform functions related to the implement, and the like. Implements provide much versatility in power machine use. The ability to change implements to perform various work functions enhances that versatility. Therefore, implements are generally removably mounted on an arm, boom, or other structural member of the power machine.
Implement mounting devices or carriers are carried on an arm and are used for quickly attaching and detaching various accessories or tools, such as buckets, pallet forks, augers, etc. without the use of any tools. Implement carriers have been utilized quite extensively for the ease of changing between implements on a power machines. Typically, implements that are capable of being coupled with an implement carrier of a particular power machine have a structure that is complementary to the implement carrier. More particularly, in many instances, implements have a mounting structure with apertures formed there through capable of accepting pins that extend from the implement carrier to secure the implement to the implement carrier. When attaching an implement to a power machine, care must be taken to ensure that the implement is properly secured to the implement carrier, that is, that the implement is properly seated on the implement carrier and that the pins are extending through the complementary apertures on the implement.
Some power machines have powered implement locking mechanisms that utilize a power source such as pressurized hydraulic fluid to extend and retract pins on the implement carrier to secure an implement to or release an implement from an implement carrier. Some powered implement locking mechanisms utilize a diverter valve that diverts flow of hydraulic fluid from a tilt cylinder that rotates the implement carrier with respect to a lift arm or boom to cause locking mechanism pins to extend or retract to secure or release the implement related to the implement carrier. Such implement locking mechanisms require the tilt cylinder to be actuated to carry out the locking function. For example, with a bucket type of implement, these systems would require that the bucket be rolled back, that is, the tilt cylinder needs to be completely retracted, to provide the hydraulic flow necessary to extend the locking pins. This locking technique can be challenging if the bucket or other implement isn't seated properly on the implement carrier. Not allowing the implement to be removed while in a variety of different positions can be disadvantageous as well.
Other powered implement locking mechanisms are not dependent on the position of the implement or actuation of a tilt cylinder to engage and disengage. For example, other attachment mechanisms allow locking pins to be engaged in response to a user input from the power machine operator. However, this requires that the operator remember to engage the locking mechanism, and take affirmative action to do so.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.